I got some good replies on this over at the garagebrewers forum and ended up going with homedepot 5 gal orange buckets. I lined them with trashbags and filled them full and put the lid on. It took two buckets per full sac of grain.

Thanks to all for your ingenious solutions! Since I already have some spare Rubbermaid bins around here, for now I think that the cheapest thing would be for me to buy some weather stripping (as suggested in this thread), and apply that around the rim of a single Rubbermaid container. Since I'm splitting 2 55-pound sacks of base malts (a 2-row pale and a Marris Otter) with another homebrewer, I will then be able to put each 1/2 bag of base malt grain into the same bucket, and also throw in my specialty grains (will put specialty grains like chocolate malt into small Tupperware containers, first, so that those aromas are kept isolated from those of the other malts).

Unless you all disagree with this approach...I wouldn't think that these 2 aromas (pale malt and Marris O) would be so strong or dissimilar as to interfere with each other, if they're kept together within the same airtight container...right?

One more question--the Home Depot bucket lids don't have seals. What's the best place (lowest $$) for the 5 gallon buckets that have seals? I'd like to buy them from somewhere cheaper than the LHB store, if possible.....

I wouldn't worry to much about aroma migration. The only segregation I do is to keep base malts together (pale, pils, wheat), crystal malts together and roast malts together.

BTW, Maris Otter is pale ale malt. Its named after a specific cultivar of barley commonly used to make pale ale malts.

I can get you the specific grade of weather stripping I used, if I still have the packaging laying around. I went through a few different types before I settled on one that had the best density and sticky qualities to get the job done.

Give a man a beer, and he wastes an hour. Teach a man to brew, and he wastes a lifetime.

trishdadish wrote:One more question--the Home Depot bucket lids don't have seals. What's the best place (lowest $$) for the 5 gallon buckets that have seals? I'd like to buy them from somewhere cheaper than the LHB store, if possible.....

You could probably buy some sort of weatherstripping that would fit nicely into the lid of the HD buckets.

I got some good replies on this over at the garagebrewers forum and ended up going with homedepot 5 gal orange buckets. I lined them with trashbags and filled them full and put the lid on. It took two buckets per full sac of grain.

Why the trash bag liner? There is a good chance that the bucket is made out of the same material as your plastic bucket fermenter, it just isn't certified as food grade. The trash bag is more likely to be made out of a plastic that isn't a food grade type plastic.

Assuming you have a fairly steady hand you could take some food grade sealant and make your own gasket. Put a bead in the crack all the way around the lid and let it dry for a week or so, voila instant gasket. Just make sure you make it fairly thin or your lid won't snap on securely.

Michael did have a great suggestion for finding 5 gallon buckets with seals. Most bakeries have a source of empties around. They get their bulk ingredients like cake frosting in them and usually have a supply around. If you ask nicely, I am sure that one of the fine bakeries in town would save a few of them for you. It wouldn't hurt to ask. You could trade for a couple of bottles of your beer for them as well. You could also ask the local suppliers for the bulk PBW (5 gallon bucket with seal) package. I have 3 of them. I was sure that they were clean once I rinsed them out!

I store most of my specialty grains in these buckets. They last for a long time in them. As far as the base grains are concerned, your best bet is to purchase as needed. All of the local homebrew suppliers have the bulk grains in stock. If you plan correctly you will always be purchasing your bulk grains for a months worth of brewing and storing in a rubbermaid container is perfect for these grains. If you happen to need more immediately and the suppliers don't have what you need, you can always post on the forum the immediate need. You will usually get a couple of responses within an hour with a helping hand.

I have used old plastic pretzel containers with largemouth screwtops (Like big Utz Pretzel plastic barrels) and so far they seem OK. The plastic is clear, so I keep them in a dark dry location in the basement. So far seems good for over 1 year, not sure if anyone has used these and had different results. I get about 5 pounds for each barrel. The pretzels are cheap at a food club and a good snack at work too.

Keep in mind that the large plastic containers for snacks are not airtight. If you remove the lid you will see 2 or more notches in the rim of the jar. Even knowing that, I still use quite a few for grain.

In wine there is wisdom,In Beer there is strength,In water there is bacteria!